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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27768745">robbers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafenomin/pseuds/cafenomin'>cafenomin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crime Scenes, Crimes &amp; Criminals, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Minor Character Death, Robbery, Work In Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:01:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,026</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27768745</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafenomin/pseuds/cafenomin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hyunjin wasn’t usually the one to hold a grudge, but he had lost his sister because of his father, who hadn’t learned the lesson and kept on pushing, so his hatred for him was, in Hyunjin’s mind, very much justified. </p><p>Ever since then, they hadn’t talked to each other, and when his mother started dating his father again, he had cut off ties with her too, moving out of their shared apartment. And ever since then, Hyunjin had learned to steal in order to survive. He had learned a new kind of hatred, one for the rich, for those who had more than they needed, for those that weren’t kind enough to give to others.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Seo Changbin, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello this is my first time posting a wip!! I really hope you guys like it! Let me know what you think! Thank you Shel for being my beta and Tina for screaming about this with me. I love you guys.</p><p>I will update this weekly, probably so new chapters every Friday!!</p><p>Title from the song robbers by the 1975</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Hyunjin ran. His chunky boots made no sound on the autumn leaves and his bag seemed to be empty because of how quiet it was. The jewelry that filled it was knocking against each other but they seemed to be on Hyunjin’s side, as they never revealed their location with loud, unmistakable sounds. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ran faster, chasing the high, feeling adrenaline rush through his veins. He could feel steps behind him as they increased in speed too, but he knew they were far away, and that they would never see his moves coming. With that in mind, Hyunjin took a left turn, running even faster, making sure he was breathing properly so as to not get too tired. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was already starting to feel the unavoidable soreness in his thighs and calves but he pushed through it, he was almost there, he couldn’t give up now. He allowed himself a smirk as he saw the grey fence getting closer and closer to him. He counted the meters between himself and the fence and waited until there were two meters between each other to gain momentum. He was so close. He grabbed the fence with his right hand and using the momentum, he jumped one, two times, and the third time he was touching the ground on the other side of the fence, smiling triumphantly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin didn’t stop running until he got to the third alley on the right, and even there, he quickly climbed on top of the trash bins, then Hyejoo’s window sill, and then the window to the second floor of the building. It was always open because it had been empty for the entirety of Hyunjin’s criminal career. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He dropped to the floor and held his breath, listening to the wary, careful steps of the officer that had been after him. He waited until he heard the series of things all officers did: curse, sigh and walk away. He was so focused on making sure he was no longer being followed that he didn’t realize there was someone in the room with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um, what the fuck?” he heard someone say. The unknown voice drew a gasp out of him and made his heart almost jump out of his chest in surprise. He turned his head, which was facing the open window, to the other side, and saw a pair of socked feet. He slowly raised his head, careful not to let his hoodie fall, until he saw the man’s face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guy had black hair that fell on his forehead, and right under it, a pair of big, piercing eyes that were staring at him with curiosity but also with the same kind of threatened energy all of his victims have. His mouth was pressed tightly into a line and his jaw was tensed, causing it to become more prominent. His shoulders were raised and the muscles of his arms, which were visible because of the lack of a shirt to cover them, were tense. Hyunjin thought that if the guy was a cat, all of his hair would be raised up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin stood up slowly, as one does with an unknown animal that is watching you warily, very careful not to spook the guy even more. Once he was standing, he relaxed his shoulders and adopted the calmest, charismatic posture he could at the moment.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know the apartment was claimed already,” he explained with a slow, soothing voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man looked at him, and Hyunjin could tell from his expression he was getting even more nervous and weirded out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just moved in,” the guy said and then paused, considering whether or not to continue. “I’m Seungmin,” he added, stretching his arm out for a handshake. Hyunjin shook his hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you,” he smiled at him. “I have to go.” He walked towards the front door which was unlocked and right before leaving he added “I’ll see you around, Seungmin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>⚠️⚠️⚠️</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin wasn't a bad person, or at least, that's what he liked to think. He was kind to others and often helped old people cross the streets. He was really good to his very few friends and he liked to believe that they thought he was a good person, too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That, however, didn't mean Hyunjin gave a single fuck about the law. He agreed that no one should have the right to kill anyone, and that violence was, in almost all cases, completely unjustified and unnecessary. Yet, he didn’t think that private property was important enough to require a whole judicial system to protect it. And most importantly, he didn’t think that taking someone’s stuff was the sin society made it out to be. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn't always been like that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In fact, many many years ago, he had considered becoming a police officer, just like his father. He was fifteen at that point and his father was his biggest inspiration because he was the chief of the police department, and he was always busy solving crimes and helping people. Hyunjin’s family was very well known, not only for his father’s reputation but also for his mother’s. She was a very popular fashion designer, whose clothes were sold all over Korea. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His father had a reputation for investigating difficult cases and getting involved in issues that most officers didn’t dare to. In September of the year, Hyunjin turned 15, his father picked up a case that not only was tricky but it was also very dangerous. He was advised not to by his coworkers, who thought that sometimes, things are better left unsolved. But his father was stubborn and there was nothing and no one that could ever make him change his mind. So he picked up the case of the Kim mafia, unknowing that it would change his life forever. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Kims were all family. The head of the organization was Kim Heechul, the oldest of a group of brothers and cousins who had gathered for the sake of becoming the richest family in Korea. And they were very successful at it. Whatever illegal activity one could think of, the Kims were behind. They smuggled drugs into the country and were involved in many of the sex clubs that existed illegally in the different cities of Korea. They killed whoever got in their way and they had police officers protecting them from the inside, so they were entirely untouchable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Hyunjin’s father didn’t believe any man under his jurisdiction would ever snitch, so he didn’t take the precautions he should’ve. He started by investigating the many clubs they ran and closing those down. He should have predicted that the second they noticed that his clubs were suddenly being investigated, they would do something about it. But he didn’t, so one night, when he got home and saw Hyunjin and his wife tied to a chair, mouths taped shut and faces covered in tears, he was more than surprised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had been quick to remove the duct tape from his wife’s face, who immediately said between sobs that they had taken their youngest and only daughter, Yeji. Hyunjin was freed soon after his mother but the tears never stopped coming out of his eyes. A few hours later, his father received a text message from a blocked number that asked for a sum of money large enough to make his entire family broke in return for Yeji. The only condition was that he could not further involve the police in the matter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Hyunjin’s father was just as materialistic as he was stubborn, so of course, the following morning he gathered a team to conduct an investigation and get his daughter back, without having to pay the already rich mafia, any fucking money. What he wasn’t counting on, was that there were people who worked for the Kims inside the police force. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>During lunch, he had received a video from a blocked number, in which he was shown how they murdered Yeji in cold blood. After she was dead a distorted voice had said, “maybe, if you hadn’t been so worried about your money, she wouldn’t have died.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few months later, Hyunjin’s parents got divorced, and he had moved with his mother into a small apartment, where they had everything they needed. However, his father hadn’t been able to let go of his urge to investigate the mafia, which resulted in Hyunjin receiving a text with the sum of money to pay for his father’s rescue. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin and his mother had been terrified and given the mafia what they had asked for, and in a few hours, his father had been sent back home. But things had changed. See, Hyunjin wasn’t usually the one to hold a grudge, but he had lost his sister because of his father, who hadn’t learned the lesson and kept on pushing, so his hatred for him was, in Hyunjin’s mind, very much justified. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ever since then, they hadn’t talked to each other, and when his mother started dating his father again, he had cut off ties with her too, moving out of their shared apartment. And ever since then, Hyunjin had learned to steal in order to survive. He had learned a new kind of hatred, one for the rich, for those who had more than they needed, for those that weren’t kind enough to give to others. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin had also found a group of friends. Bangchan, Changbin, and Jisung were all very similar to him in ideologies and were his brothers and best friends. They were the people Hyunjin could go to when in need and the ones that stood by his side and never betrayed them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Knowing the way in which the police department worked so well, gave Hyunjin an advantage that he shared with his group: he always knew where and when to rob. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Usually, they’d go for regular-sized businesses, not wanting to target the small shops that were struggling to get by, nor the big businesses because those would put them in the spotlight, which was something they did not want at all. They would do all of their robberies at the periods of time in which Hyunjin knew that the police were the least active. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, they’d run in different directions, and use the lack of gymnastic abilities of the officers to their advantage, climbing roofs and brick walls, successfully running from them. They had various hideouts that were entirely empty, and that’s where they’d guide the police to, whenever they were being chased. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That had been Hyunjin’s plan, the night he met Seungmin. But the usually empty apartment was now occupied, which completely altered his plans. Not only had he shown his face to a civilian, but he had also guided the police to the apartment of one, which could result in trouble for both of them. Hyunjin was fucked. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>⚠️⚠️⚠️</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chris, I know all of this already. You think I don’t?” he yelled. He was getting scolded by Bangchan, who usually took a paternalistic role and cared for the others as much as he yelled at them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was a random citizen you just involved in our business, dude.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sighed, neither of them wanted to argue because truly, Hyunjin had no way of knowing that the apartment was occupied already, it had never been. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ride to the market was quiet because neither of the four boys ever felt the need to fill up the silence with nonsensical words. They enjoyed the soft purring of the Mustang Fastback they had finished restaurants less than a month ago until they reached the fifth path to the right on the 95th route. They took the path and stopped inside the home-made parking lot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once all of them were out, they walked two kilometers into the woods until they saw a blue branch on a pine tree. They turned left and continued walking for half a kilometer until they reached a wooden cabin. Bangchan knocked three times, paused, knocked once more, paused, and knocked one last time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin opened the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inside the cabin, there was a large table with different things such as clothing, guns, car parts, electronic devices, and in some areas of the table, there weren’t any tangible objects, but instead, you could get a house, a motorcycle, plane tickets, passports, and many other things. There was a bar near the entrance where they sold beer, soju, and snacks for the road at very low prices. The cabin had rooms near the back and on the second floor, so it could be used as a one-night hotel for those who needed it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bangchan was the first to walk into the market, bowing to Jeongin as he did, and the others were quick to follow.  They walked towards the jewelry table, where they found Ten, who gave them a smile as bright as the diamonds that were placed on his table. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Tennie,” said Bangchan, smiling back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello loves, what did you bring me today?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Check it out yourself,” he replied, handing him Hyunjin’s backpack. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten poured the contents of the bag on the table and handed the backpack to someone they didn’t know, who put it in the fireplace. They always got rid of things that could incriminate them, like bags. Ten hummed and smiled sweetly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You guys did very well today, I’m very pleased.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He handed them enough money to survive for the month and patted their shoulders as they left. They smiled at him and bowed to Jeongin on their way back. The walk to their house was very long and tiring, as it was 5 kilometers away from the cabin and they couldn’t use their car in the middle of the woods. It was also a smart decision to leave the car far away from the house in case they ever got followed back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they got to their place, Bangchan immediately started ordering everyone around, so that they could cook and go to sleep. They cooked silently but in a very harmonious way, never bumping into each other or dropping anything because they were so used to being together. They ate silently, and they said their gratitudes before going to sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That week was rather uneventful, they didn’t need to go to the city, because they had everything they needed at their house, and they didn’t need to steal because they already had enough money, so they stayed in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The cabin in which they lived had been built by Changbin and Bangchan and it was very near a clearing where the guys would often spend their evenings chatting and sunbathing. It was also the place where Changbin taught them how to fight and Hyunjin used his dance lessons in order to teach them how to be more agile and fast. The cabin was large. It had a big living room where they had a fireplace they used for cooking, a small bathroom, and two rooms they had to share. They had lived there together for years so sharing wasn’t a problem. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A week after the encounter with Seungmin, Hyunjin took a bus to the city to buy some groceries. The bus left him rather far from the grocery store, but he managed to get there either way. He walked into the grocery store holding the straps of his backpack. He grabbed the milk first and was walking through the cereal aisle when he accidentally jumped into someone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both boys groaned and looked at each other questioningly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Watch where you’re going,” the boy spat out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seungmin?” Hyunjin recognized him from having accidentally broken into his house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, it’s you,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin nodded, careful not to mention his name. He had committed that mistake on other occasions, which caused him to get scolded by Bangchan for the mere possibility that someone could recognize their names. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we talk?” Seungmin asked, holding his wrist tightly. Hyunjin didn’t allow himself to gasp. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you wait until I finish doing my groceries?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin rolled his eyes and followed him around the store as he finished grabbing all of the things they needed. Hyunjin did not feel as intimidated by his presence behind him as he knew Seungmin wanted him to, he just simply ignored him and continued doing what he was there to do: the groceries. Seungmin looked at him weirdly when he realized Hyunjin was paying in cash but didn’t say anything. Both boys paid for their stuff and left the store.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin grabbed his arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why did you break into my house?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why do you care?” he bit back. He shouldn’t be so defensive, that would surely give him away, but in reality, he didn’t care about what this random dude thought about him. Seungmin laughed cynically. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you dumb, by any chance? You broke into my house, of course, I’ll fucking care.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin could see the point Seungmin was trying to make, but still, letting him know why he had accidentally broken into his house was far beyond the number of risks he allowed himself to take for the day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was an accident,” he finally said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you accidentally break into someone’s house?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You just do, man. Why are you questioning everything? Just let it be.” Seungmin looked like he wanted to punch him, and Hyunjin was not in the mood to get punched in the face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m letting you go, but the next time I see you, you won’t live to tell the story.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Am I supposed to be scared?” He was being so bratty, he could already hear Bangchan scolding him for this. They were supposed to behave normally so that people wouldn’t notice anything weird about them so that in the case they ever got caught no one would have anything to say. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And yet the way that Seungmin stood so proudly and cool and fucking full of himself irritated Hyunjin and made him want to go against him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin raised the hem of his t-shirt to reveal a Glock being held by a holster concealed inside his pants.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now they were talking. Hyunjin smirked and showed him the knife hidden in his jacket. The two boys looked at each other, almost daring each other to do something. Before Hyunjin could realize it, two guys showed up and stood in between him and Seungmin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry guys, he won’t do anything, he's all bark and no bite,” he said and Hyunjin could’ve sworn he was hoping he would prove him wrong. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should go, Sir,” one of the guys told him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin turned around, and as he was leaving he said “See you around, Hyunjin,”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After his encounter with Seungmin, Hyunjin decided he needed to steal something to clear his mind. He loved to feel the rush of adrenaline whenever he was close to getting caught, and the feeling of his heart almost jumping out of his chest in excitement. There weren’t many things they needed, so Hyunjin stuck to the basics: shoplifting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had started shoplifting at a young age, in fact, he had started it even before Yeji’s death. He and his friends would go around the mall and “borrow” stuff from clothes stores and walk out casually as if they weren’t hiding shit inside their backpacks. He had gotten caught a few times but the police officers knew him, at least they used to, so they always let it slide.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now it was a completely different story. Starting from the fact that he was almost unrecognizable. The soft, sweet eyes that characterized him were now replaced by cold ones, usually adorned with black and brown eyeliner —a trick he had learned from Bangchan: eyeliner can make it look like your eye shape is different. His usually short and silky black hair was now long enough to reach his shoulders and a bleached blonde that made him look prince-like. His jaw had gotten sharper and he had developed a lot more muscle than expected, which made him look very athletic and lean. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Besides his physical appearance, Hyunjin had also learned </span>
  <em>
    <span>how </span>
  </em>
  <span>to steal.  He knew that big stores were arguably less morally incorrect to steal from but that it was also harder to steal from them because they usually had security guards. He had learned to steal things small in both value and size because those were easier to go unnoticed. He had started taking a backpack and an empty venti Starbucks cup that he had cut the bottom from, where he could place things in and hide them perfectly. He had also perfected his acting skills so that he didn’t look suspicious at all in the first place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had been walking around the city for quite some time, waiting for a business that would catch his eye, when he got a call. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get home, we need you,” Changbin said. His voice sounded worried, and almost in a hurry as if something urgent was going on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” he asked as he turned around and started walking to the bus station “I’m on my way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Someone found out where we sell. They shot Jeongin and,” Changbin paused. Hyunjin felt his heart begin to drop “they got Chris.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Hello?”</p><p> </p><p>“Get home, we need you,” Changbin said. His voice sounded worried, and almost in a hurry as if something urgent was going on. </p><p> </p><p>“What happened?” he asked as he turned around and started walking to the bus station “I’m on my way.”</p><p> </p><p>“Someone found out where we sell. They shot Jeongin and,” Changbin paused. Hyunjin felt his heart begin to drop “they got Chris.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you Shel for being my beta!! Youre amazing!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Once again, Hyunjin found himself crushing the autumn leaves with his boots as he ran, this time to the market, where Changbin and Jisung were waiting for him. The place was a mess. Whoever had found it, had taken extreme measures to absolutely destroy everything, stealing all of the goods, smashing the cutlery and the soju bottles, and burning the whole cabin down. Jeongin, who would usually guard the door, had made sure everyone was out safely and gotten shot in the leg in the process. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was with us, he helped the guys get out,” Jeongin explained, wincing as someone pulled out the bullet from his legs with surgical forceps they had bought not that long ago, “we weren’t watching him. We thought he’d be good on his own. He’s always been good on his own.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you didn’t see who took him?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is there any chance that he could have gone on his own?” Someone Hyunjin couldn’t recognize asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not Chris, he sticks to the pack,” Jisung said, Changbin and Hyunjin nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin’s phone rang. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hyunjin, missed me?” a voice said. He felt like he should recognize it, but he had no idea of who it was. That’s exactly what he told the caller. “Are you sure you don’t know me, Jinnie?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin’s eyes widened. He could feel two pairs of eyes focusing on him, and Jisung’s footsteps as he got closer enough to overhear the conversation. His heart started beating a thousand beats per second, there was no way that he wasn’t having a heart attack right there and then. He hadn’t heard the nickname in years. He hadn’t heard the nickname since he was 15. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s you,” he whispered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lee Minho, nice to finally speak to you directly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you so obsessed with me? I did nothing, me and my father are not even on speaking terms right now.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s like you’re cursed, dear Jinnie.” The boy sighed as if he actually pitied him. Hyunjin knew better than to believe him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where do you have him?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, straight to the point. I see you have learned your lessons,” Minho chuckled. Hyunjin was very close to smashing his phone against the ground “This time, we don’t want money, not like you have any.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want, then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We want you. We’ll pick you up at the parking lot. If you even so much as think of bringing a gun, you’re a dead man.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin let out a long sigh when Minho hung up. He looked at Changbin, who was staring back at him, and at Jisung who instantly held his hand. He knew that if he told his friends what Lee Minho had asked of him they wouldn’t let him go, but he also knew that it was the only way they could ever get Bangchan back. Inside his head, he was already thinking of a hundred different ways this could go; most of them weren’t very happy outcomes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of saying what he needed to do, he decided to speak directly to the market people. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do any of you know anything about the Kim Mafia?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt everyone’s face stitch into a worried expression. A guy who couldn’t be a day older than 40, stepped forward, his eyes were unfocused as if he was so lost in thought, so lost in the memories of the cruel past that he couldn’t focus on the now. Everyone moved, letting the man walk up to Hyunjin who was waiting for him to start telling the story. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Kims started out as a very powerful family, but now they’re a little bit more than that. There are members of their clan in the government, in power positions of big corporations, even in hospitals. They control most of the things we know of right now, and they only do because we have given them the power. See, they feed on our fear and they are not afraid to make our biggest fears come true.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would they want me and Chris?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There are two options. They could want you for your skills. Think about it, what organization couldn’t use a duo of excellent thieves? There’s also the possibility that one of you did something to piss one of them off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin thought about it for a while. He hadn’t been in contact with anyone except for the market people and…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kim Seungmin?” he whispered to himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, yes. He’s the youngest, but one of the most ruthless of them. He made many improvements to their torture systems, and not only that, but he is also responsible for the new recruitments. How do you know of him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I accidentally broke into his apartment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man looked at him with a look that told Hyunjin everything he needed to know: he was already a dead man.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was no surprise to Hyunjin that Seungmin was someone important and powerful. He had this aura, maybe it was the way his face was as serious as one can be, or maybe it was the way he stood. Still, Kim Seungmin looked like the kind of guy who could step on you and reduce you to dust in a second, without a single moment of hesitation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now Hyunjin was getting pissed off. The thing was, he was tired of them. He was tired of his surname and his past and he was tired of the Kims ruining his life, taking everything he loved and then coming back to take more. He was tired and he would not take it anymore. At least that’s what he decided that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, things didn’t exactly go that way. The universe was very skilled at fucking up Hyunjin’s plans, apparently, because everything that Jisung, Changbin, and him planned, went like shit. They were supposed to go to the parking lot with him, in fact, they almost succeeded at that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What they weren’t counting on were the Lees. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Lees were the only subordinates that were treated as part of the family because they technically were. They were brothers, and his dad was Kim Heechul’s best friend, so it was obvious that they would secure a nice, stable position at the mafia. They were skilled in anything you could think of, due to the arduous training they endured ever since they were little. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were the best strategists anyone had ever met and they were, not that any member of the Kim family would admit it, the reason why the mafia was so successful these days. They had replaced Kim Namjoon who had been promoted to a better position. Right after they took his place they implemented some changes on the way the mafia exhorted other people, thus gaining more control over their enemies. This had been a major change in the mafia who used to be softer and more merciful. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin, Changbin and Jisung walked into the dark parking lot. They exchanged a look once the automatic lights went on, and then looked around. Some of the lights stayed off, so thar an entire part of the parking lot of was dark. That's when they found themselves surrounded by tall men in all black. A blonde boy walked towards them slowly, wearing a dark smirk on his angelical looking face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, hello, mates.” A voice much more deeper than expected came out of his smirking mouth. “I bet you thought you could find a way to sneak guns into our meeting, Hyunjin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I don’t have any guns on me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re just as stupid as your father. Maybe you could learn from his mistakes,” another boy chimed in, raising his pierced eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin knew they were trying to piss him off, and that he shouldn't fall for it. And yet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you could learn to shut the fuck up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t play that game if I were you,” the blonde guy warned him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But you’re not me, so you can shut the fuck up too.” Next to him, he heard Changbin scoff which let him know that he was being annoying. ”We’re not here to chat now, are we? Where’s Chris?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other guy smiled cruelly. "You'll see him," he said. Something in his eyes told Hyunjin that there was something much bigger going on. "If you come with us."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin all but growled. "What do you mean? There's no way I'm going anywhere with scum like you," he spat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, but I think you will, Hyunjinnie," a familiar voice said, walking closer to him. He hadn't seen him there, as most of the  parking lot was dark. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Seungmin?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hello, dear." Seungmin looked cold, scary and Hyunjin was beginning to think that this was not going to go according to plan. "I have something to show you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first thought that went through his mind was </span>
  <em>
    <span>'Not again'</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and then, his eyes went to the screen Seungmin was holding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you think!! The action is coming soon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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